1. Field of the Invention
The present invention deals with the field of devices for cleaning of individual flats which are designed for carrying articles therein and in particular for carrying eggs. Normally these flats are placed upon some type of a conveyor system and pass through a wash station which individually washes each empty flat. However, under certain operating systems and when operating within certain financial constraints it becomes necessary to provide a higher capacity washing and sanitizing system which performs upon stacks of flats rather than individual flats. The present invention directly addresses this problem.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art devices as described above are normally usable for cleaning, sanitizing and drying flats individually. The present invention, however, is particularly usable for washing of stacks of flats. Normally when the flats are stacked there is enough space in between adjacent flats to allow cleaning solution to pass therein. Prior art devices have not successfully provided any particular structure useful for the cleaning of trays or flats when so stacked. The present invention provides a novel means of agitation of the flats when in the stack configuration and also provide a novel recirculating means for the washing solution. The low cost and high volume of the apparatus and method of the present invention are particularly advantageous.